To Make A Positive And Powerful Difference

by Todd Bowman
Program Director

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. (Philippians 3:10)

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)

This week, I reflect on the third portion of the Impact Learning Center’s vision statement:

Young people using their God-given strengths TO MAKE A POSITIVE AND POWERFUL DIFFERENCE in their world.

When I committed my life to Christ as a sophomore in high school, the verses above were instrumental to my growth as a follower of Christ. My high school mentor, John Matzke, told me it didn’t matter that I was young in my faith. He told me I was created for a purpose, which was to know Christ and to be transformed into His likeness. He challenged me to be an example, a role model, and a light for Christ in the places God had put me. I took that exhortation seriously and it was important to me to know that God thought highly of me as a young person.

Young people tend to get a bad rap, oftentimes deservedly so. They can be reckless, self-centered and materialistic. Urban youth, in particular, can be apathetic, angry and violent.

But I wonder if young people often struggle with finding their way simply because the bar is set so low for them. As adults, we often don’t trust youth, so we withhold power and the opportunity for them to have a legitimate voice. In turn, youth become alienated and frustrated. They act out. Many urban youth turn to the streets.

The streets are a powerful lure for urban young people. The streets are open 24 hours a day, accept everyone as they are, provide love and security, and give young people a feeling that they are in control, that they have power.

At the Impact Learning Center, our desire is to offer youth an alternative to the streets. Not a wimpy alternative, but a powerful one – Young people using their God-given strengths TO MAKE A POSITIVE AND POWERFUL DIFFERENCE in their world.

Traditional thinking says young people won’t respond to this vision. Young people are too self-consumed to respond to such a calling. It is too big and demands too much sacrifice. The reality, however, is that many young people are just waiting for adults to expect big things from them, to believe in them, and to trust them. They are waiting for someone to challenge them to build God’s kingdom, to be an IMPACTER, and to transform their world.